Lloyd’s Register has become the first Certifying Authority to be authorised to certify remotely operated and unmanned vessels (ROUVs).
ROUVs under 24 metres in length have to comply with comprehensive safety and operational requirements under Workboat Code 3 (WBC3).
Now LR can provide end-to-end certification services for them to address a hugely increasing demand for unmanned and autonomous vessels and technology.
“This was made possible through collaboration with a number of industry partners on key projects,” said Jordan McRuvie, Unmanned Marine Systems (UMS), Marine & Offshore specialist, Lloyd’s Register. “We are committed to supporting clients through the certification process and look forward to granting the first WBC3 certification to an ROUV shortly.”
The European sub‑24 m market for remotely operated and unmanned surface vessels (USVs) is expanding rapidly.
According to Data Bridge, the European USV market was valued at approximately $400 million in 2023 and expected to reach $780 million by 2030.
Globally, the USV market is similarly dynamic. Grand View Research reports it was worth about $1.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach about $3.5 billion by 2030.
Within Europe, there are currently around 1,000 active small USVs, primarily ≤6 m in length, used across coastal, inland, and research sectors. Around 41% of deployments focus on hydrography and environmental monitoring, while 18% are defence or security applications such as mine‑countermeasure and border patrol operations.
Remotely operated vessels dominate the market at 74%, with fully autonomous craft making up the remainder.
Major growth drivers include EU‑backed R&D (eg Horizon Europe), rising demand in environmental surveillance and defence, and technological advances in autonomy. As autonomy frameworks mature, usage is expected to spread into larger vessel classes and more diverse operational roles, the research suggests.
